Haikyu!!

Haikuu!! is a popular Japanese manga series by Haruichi Furudate. It is about Shoyo Hinata, a boy who wants to be a great volleyball player, even though he is very small.

The series was published in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from February 2012 to July 2020. It was collected into 45 volumes.

An anime TV series was made by Production I.G. The first season aired from April to September 2014 with 25 episodes. A second season followed from October 2015 to March 2016 with 25 episodes. A third season aired from October to December 2016 with 10 episodes. The fourth season aired from January to December 2020 and had 25 episodes. In February 2024, the first part of an anime film called Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle was released. The second part will come in 2027.

The series has been very successful. In 2016, it won the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga. By December 2025, over 75 million copies of the manga had been sold, making it one of the best-selling manga series. Both the manga and anime have received many positive reviews.

Plot

See also: List of Haikyu!! characters

Shoyo Hinata, a student in junior high school, loves volleyball after seeing Karasuno High School play on TV. Even though he is small, he is inspired by a great player called 'The Little Giant'. Hinata joins his school’s volleyball club, but he is the only member. For two years, he tries to get others to join.

In his final year of junior high, some friends agree to help, and Hinata plays his first real match. They lose to a strong team that includes Tobio Kageyama, an amazing player. Hinata and Kageyama become rivals and promise to play each other again in high school.

Hinata gets into Karasuno High School and is surprised to find Kageyama there too. The school’s volleyball team is not as good as before, but Hinata and Kageyama team up. They help each other get better and work together to make Karasuno strong again, hoping to reach the Nationals.

Both Hinata and Kageyama dream of becoming professional volleyball players and promise to play together again after high school. They share a strong bond and care deeply about each other and the sport.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Haikyu!! chapters

Haikyu!! was written and drawn by Haruichi Furudate. It first appeared as a short story in January 2011 and began regular publishing in February 2012. The series ended in July 2020, with all its chapters collected into 45 books.

In North America, Viz Media released the series starting in 2016. Shueisha also made it available in English online in January 2019.

Radio drama

A radio drama for the series aired in November 2012 on TV Tokyo. It featured voice actors performing scenes from the story.

Anime

Main article: List of Haikyu!! episodes

An anime series based on the manga was produced by Production I.G. The first season aired from April to September 2014. Four seasons followed over the next few years.

Four special animated episodes called OVAs were also released between 2015 and 2020.

Two compilation movies came out after the first and third anime seasons.

In 2022, two final anime movies were announced. The first, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, came out in February 2024 and was shown in North America in May. The second movie is planned for 2027.

Video games

Haikyu!! Tsunage! Itadaki no Keshiki came out for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in September 2014. Another game, Haikyu!! Cross Team Match, was released for the same system in March 2016. The main character also appeared in a crossover game for PlayStation consoles.

Stage plays

Main article: Hyper Projection Engeki: Haikyu!!

Stage plays based on the series began in 2015, with Kenta Suga playing the main character.

Reception

Manga

Haikyu!! won the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category in 2016. Readers of Da Vinci magazine voted it one of the greatest manga series, and it ranked highly on many "Book of the Year" lists. By the end of 2025, the manga had sold over 75 million copies around the world.

In Japan, Haikyu!! was one of the best-selling manga in several years. Critics liked the story for its look at personal challenges and how characters work together as a team.

Anime

Haikyu!! was named one of the best anime of the 2010s by Polygon, IGN, and Crunchyroll. It was popular on streaming services in many countries during the winter 2020 season. The anime won awards for Sports Series of the Decade and ranked highly on Tumblr. Characters and music from the series also received nominations and awards.

A real volleyball player from South Korea, Kim Yeon-kyoung, liked how the anime showed volleyball, even though some parts were exaggerated. Critics praised the anime for showing teamwork, personal growth, and great animation that made the sport fun to watch.